Head for circular-knitting machines



(No Model.)

J. HBGINBOTHOM.

Head for Circular Knitting Machines.

' No. 235,238. Patented Dec. 7, I880.

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N.PETERS, PHOTO-LIYHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON D O NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH HEGINBOIHOM, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

HEAD FOR CIRCULAR-KNITTING MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 235,238, dated December 7, 1880.

Application filed June 9, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J osnPH HEGINBOTHOM, a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented an Improved Head for Circular- Knitting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the construction of the heads of circular-knitting machines; and the main object of my invention is to readily detach the cylinder which carries the needles from the remainder of the head, and to readily adjust to the latter cylinders differing in character for knitting tubular fabrics of different diameters or gages.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a vertical section of my improved head for circular-knitting machines; and Fig. 2 an exterior view, showing the three parts of the head detached from each other.

The head is composed of three main parts namely, the cylinder A, having at the upper edge the usual grooves for the circular system of needles, the base 13, having a central hub, I), adapted to the stationary spindle, and the bevel-wheel D, through the medium of which the head is rotated on the said spindle by a similar wheel on a driving-shaft.

The needle-cylinder of the head of an ordinary circular-knitting machine is usually cast 1n one piece with the base, although machines have been made in which the cylinder is secured to the base by bolts or set-screws, so that when a cylinder of one size has to be substituted for another of different size such manipulation is required that it is the usual practice in knitting-mills to send for a machine to efl'ect the change.

It has been the common practice, also, to cast the wheel D on the base, in which case the wearing away or breakage of the teeth involves the discarding of the entire base.

In order to overcome these disadvantages I cut on the exterior of the tubular projection or hub b a screw-thread, m, adapted to a similar internal thread in the edge of the opening in the bottom of the cylinder A. As both the cylinder and base have to be turned in a lathe, it is a comparatively inexpensive operation to out thethreads on these parts while they are chucked in the lathe, and after the threads have been out the cylinder can be readily secured to the base by simply screwing the former'onto the hub b of the latter.

It has become the general practice or fashion to rotate the heads of circular-knitting machines in the direction pointed out by the arrow, so that if this practice is to be followed in the present instance the thread 122 on the hub b and the corresponding thread in the cylinder must be left-handed; otherwise the cylinder might become unscrewed during the operation of the machine, the threads being, of course, right-handed if the head has to be rotated in a direction contrary to that pointed out by the arrow.

The bevel-wheel D may be cast on or form a part of the base B, as usual, for it is not necessary to detach the wheel from the base as often as it is to remove the cylinder therefrom but I prefer to adopt precisely the same mode of securing the wheel to the base as that adopted in attaching the cylinder to the samethat is to say, by screwing the wheel onto the hub b of the basethe screw-threads being left-handed in this case, also, if the head has to be rotated in the usual direction.

It will be seen that the cylinder can be readily detached from or applied to the base without the aid of a machinist.

I claim as my inventionl. A circular-"Eglrnittingmachine head in which the base Bfhaving a threaded tubular projection or hub, I), is combined with the cylinder A, constructed to be screwed onto the hub, the threads of the screws being left or right handed, as the direction in which the head is rotated may require, all substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the base B, having a threaded tubular projection or hub, b, with the threaded wheel D, adapted thereto, as set forth.

3. The combination of the base B, having threaded hubs or tubular projections, b b, with the cylinder A and wheel 1), adapted to the said threaded hubs, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH HEGINBOTHOM.

Witnesses:

Jmvms F. ToBIN, HARRY SMITH. 

